The Big Big Trip Journal! If you want to make the man (or woman) upstairs laugh, just tell him your plans!

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 862 Sunday, January 23, 2022, Santa Barbara to Caldas 33km Total KM 16079
Min meters 1802, Max Meters 2494,
Total Climb 834 Total Descent 886
Min Temp 19 Max Temp 32 Ave Temp 25

Knocking off another Colombian climb (completely by accident)

There is never, and I mean never, a dull moment on these roads!

I slept surprisingly well given that the electrics kept blowing. Up earlyish and out to get on the road. A short day meant that I wasn't too worried about breakfast - I'd get something on the way rather than worry about negotiating the steep town. That was my first mistake!
After climbing ridiculously steep streets out of town I passed nowhere to get a coffee ..... or anything. Having expended so much effort to get back on the main road (it loops around the town) I was now hungry! Nothing for it but to double back to town on the main road.
That was my second mistake! I ended up going all the way back to where I had turned off last night!

After detouring for food and losing lots of time I settled in to some climbing

While having my coffee two cyclists pulled up with the same idea as me. One was all talk, or all questions, to be accurate.
How heavy was the bike?
How heavy was all my gear?
How many kms had I travelled?
How many kms do I do every day?
How many days?
The two guys had set off on January 1st to Ecuador, turned around at the border and were now heading north. Big km days. Everything about them was fast - from the way they wolfed their food to the way I was peppered with questions. I asked them what they liked best about their trip to be told the challenge. Perhaps my Spanish isn't up to scratch but neither of them could answer what things they valued from the trip, what would they remember when they were old men. I just got confused looks.

There was something about that road that got into my head. Imagine having the time (and a lighter load not to mention a wheel not in danger of collapsing!) to take a wander and see where it goes. Maybe I'm the dumbest bike tourist but I'd have no hesitation about heading off down there.

Like yesterday the road was a twisty two laner with lots of trucks. Again, traffic was bunched so I tended to pull in for safety's sake. There were some wonderful views, especially on some of the crazy steep hairpin bends.

There's no doubting the scale of the beauty of these mountains but the life evident in them has its own beauty too. Life must be hard (imagine what it must have been like before internal combustion engines!) but what a place to live!

As it turned out (!) this is another famous climb. Alto de Minas. I'm starting to understand that when Gatorade is advertised it's a popular route for bikes. I reached the top to some restaurants, had a coffee and cheesy bread then set off down the other side. I needed to be careful using only my front brake. I'm confident that my rear rim isn't going to fail spectacularly but I'm not going to tempt fate by using the brakes if I can avoid it. A few trucks descended very slowly and I generally pulled in to let them away although once I kicked my heart into gear while knocking a few years off my life by overtaking one!

The mighty Roccado! Battered but not broken still taking me higher and higher

Caldas was a busy, hectic place. I headed for the Plaza, got my coffee and for once found it a little difficult to relax. Put a gun to my head and I couldn't say why. I'm on the edge of Medellín so that could be it.

Road signs and helpfully expanding my vocabulary!

​

I found a charming hotel run by an old lady. Brutally formal until all the paperwork was done then mutating into a lovable granny character.

Not all roads are made equally

I set out to explore and find a wallet type thingy for my phone. Notes and photos are suffering with a sweaty phone and sweaty fingers. I could find nothing, not even a sense of comfort. Everything seemed just a tad faster, a tad less social. There was definitely more of a "big city" feel than I've become used to. I was approached for money several times. When I'm not able to relax in the park I'm off form for the rest of the town. My impression of Caldas was of a town in constant chaos. Thankfully, I could leave the chaos at the door of the hotel.

Maybe I'm the laziest bike tourist of them all, maybe I'm going a little crazy but I can stand at the side of the road and be lost in these scenes. The jags, the crags, the valleys, the peaks. It's a visual orchestral performance - one big sound that a bit of time allows me to pick out the individual instruments.

Trying to capture the view on a sweeping bend

On the way down...... I may well have blinded drivers on the opposite side with a beaming, grinning loon face!

​

Chat? Yes Please!
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[HobbesOnTour]

Day 863 Monday, January 24, 2022, Caldas to San Antonio de Prado 17km Total KM 16096
Min meters 1660, Max Meters 1940,
Total Climb 453 Total Descent 331
Min Temp 22 Max Temp 35 Ave Temp 28

This touring thing is tougher than it looks!

With a short day ahead of me I took a wander for breakfast and another quest for a wallet for my phone. Both quests satisfied but neither particularly satisfying. The wallet is too small to be useful and breakfast was poor.

I'm heading to the Casa de Ciclistas of Medellín, even though it's in a village above Medellín. They have a bike shop in the town and lots of experience with touring cyclists. I'll have a place to stay for as long as I need and the chance to meet other bike tourers.

Hardly any photos today! The road was busy, rough through an urban area and I was so sweaty the phone was unusable. This is San Antonio de Prado but that short, brutal hill was typical of what I was encountering for a lot of the short day

I thought I'd have a short, urban day and that it wouldn't take all that long. I was half right. It was a brutally tough day with crazy, steep climbs followed by dangerously steep drops - in an urban landscape. I'd chosen to stay off the highway and wasn't sure if that was a good call or not. There were times I could be seen standing on a mad slope, leaning into it, holding on to the bike for all I was worth trying to summon up the energy to push another little bit. Amongst all the traffic. Again and again!

The unusual church in San Antonio de Prado

I finally arrived into the very pleasant town of San Antonio de Prado. When I say it's pleasant I'm referring to the buildings, the vibe and the people - I am most certainly not referring to the hills! These mountain towns have to be experienced!
I found the Plaza and to give an indication of the town a young man (and his girlfriend) immediately approached me for a chat and to buy me a drink. When I gratefully declined I had to argue that I didn't need the money he was trying to give me.
While this was going on a Canadian and his young son butted in to the conversation. Now I was trying to carry on two conversations in two languages! I had a coffee in my hand but couldn't drink it! (The coffee, very strangely was instant and made before my stunned eyes!)

The road to the Casa de Ciclistas

The Canadian was a little odd and a tad intense, monopolising the conversation.
He wanted to know where to bring his son (based on my experiences) and wasn't too impressed with my suggestion to ask his son where he wanted to go.
He kept asking me for the "best" places of my trip despite me explaining that my favourite "places" were experiences, not places. There was a sense of relief when he wandered off leaving me to have a more gentle conversation with the couple.

I hit the bike shop to introduce myself and got the bad news that they had no rim suitable - or at least, strong enough. No panic - they'd ask around.

It's in a pretty special part of the world

​

Then I set off out the road to the house itself, about 3,5km on country roads. The climbing was not finished for the day!

Nearly home!

​

I arrived a sweaty wreck to discover that I had a very pleasant roommate from Ecuador. An ice cold mountain water shower and I was ready to be sociable.

Chat? Yes Please!
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[HobbesOnTour]

Days 864 - 869 Tuesday, January 25 - Sunday January 30, 2022, La Casa de Ciclistas, Medellín

La Casa de Ciclistas

There are a number of "Casas de Ciclistas" around the world. This is my first visit to one (the one near Antigua didn't respond to my messages).
The concept is simple: A place for bike tourists to stay en route. Often times there are places for several bike tourists, sometimes an equipped space to work on bikes and sometimes a shop associated where a bike tourist can pick up some of those things that can be hard to find elsewhere.
Pretty much all of them (that I know of, at least) are run voluntarily. Some people, it seems, like the idea of dirty, smelly bike tourists coming to stay!
Well, that's what they got with me!

The Cyclist. An exercise for the Spanish learners......

Cat, the Ecuadorian cyclist was much more pleasantly fragrant having recovered from a bout of Covid over the past three weeks. She's heading north to Alaska.
When people ask me why I'm doing this trip my answer is pretty simple - because I can. My original idea was to wait and do this as a "I'm not dead yet" retirement trip. I used to postpone things. I don't anymore. Life is short and never works out the way that we might like - at least mine doesn't. I'm doing this while I can.
Cat's response to that question will remain private but gave me a whole buffet for thought.
Cat did a three and a four day shakedown ride then set off for Alaska with no other biking experience - there's a lesson in there for touring hesitants.

The Casa is on a hill that is covered in all types of vegetation including Manuels own herbal garden. At dawn the birdsong is simply breathtaking and a wonderfully vibrant way to start the day

Simon and Nicki showed up the day after Cat left. Two Austrians, thwarted with an eastern trip - They made it as far as Turkey - they upped sticks and headed to Mexico. Minimal touring experience, although with excellent (and expensive!) bikes they are making the most of their detour and hope to hit Africa after Argentina.

Manuel (in front), Simon, Vicki and two visiting Venezuelans. They had passed through a few years ago. The guy had just graduated from University in Chile and was returning home with his girlfriend - on bikes! Because the Peru/Ecuador border is closed they had to pay $20 each to be "guided" (read not attacked) on backroads.

All this company was wonderful but made me realise that I've become quite lonely. Maybe it's the fact that this little adventure is winding down or maybe it's the cumulative effect of 28 months on the road, in foreign parts, in a global pandemic. The source, I figure, isn't that important. The reality is.
It was brought to a head when Simon & Vicki asked me why I don't continue on south now that Ecuador is open. (Peru isn't).
To answer, I had to verbalise that I've had enough - for now. I'm finding it more difficult to stay positive and while I'm reasonably confident that I have the strength and the stamina to stay positive it would be foolish not to be cognisant of the source and the effort required to overcome it.
There are other things I want to do and only some of those involve riding a bike from place to new place. I need energy for those things too.
"Rebalancing" was a goal seting off - If I'm not rebalanced by now I'm totally fecked!

The Casa. Two stories of basic accommodation decorated by previous travellers and with bits of bikes everywhere.

I was able to work all this out while waiting for news on a possible rim for the bike. The Casa is always being improved and I played my part by sanding down an old metal gate. Great therapy if hard, dusty work.

Unfortunately, the shop contacts turned up nothing. That's not to say there were no 26 inch rims - just a shortage of good, strong ones. I could get one (the same as I have) from Europe or the US (the US agent never replied) but I set off myself to Envigado (a recommendation) to check out their bike shops. Cheap Chinese rims aplenty. Poorly finished. I'm far from a rim expert but even I was wary.
I found a pair of Schwalbe rims that seemed heavier and better finished. I bought them - one for me and one for the next cyclist in my position (I'm not overly generous - they were sold as a pair). I got them built with my old hub and while it wouldn't get me to Argentina, I'm assured it will keep me going until I get back to Europe. Then a whole new wheel will be cheaper and quicker. (Simon needed to order a new hydraulic brake and the hoops to be jumped through (and the cost!) were mind boggling).

A map of Colombia (I've covered quite a bit!) and above engravings on bamboo of previous cyclists. Hosting cyclists since 2008 looking at that wall made me feel part of a community yet simultaneously lonely. Every account I have read of bike tours involved meeting others along the way. The curse of Covid.​

It was my first time on a bus since NL! It didn't go well! The first bus did a loop dropping me off where I got on! Finding a bus from Envigado back was even more difficult - the bus driver misunderstanding my question about San Antonio de Prado and confiming he was going to San Antonio - in the centre of Medellín! Oh well, I got to see the centre of Medellín and don't need to go back.

A highlight of my week off was waking up with a mild hangover! I tend to take the view that a hangover is a sign of an evening (or sometimes a decadent afternoon) well spent.
When Manuel (the host) suggested a trip into the town for a few beers (he did say coffee too but no-one was believing that one!) I jumped at the chance. Simon and Nicki declined as they were leaving the next morning.
At home I'd have no problem going into a bar on my own but over here? No.
I've had no interest in hitting any of the tourist bars in any places I've been but have been reluctant to go alone to any of the "normal" bars on my own.
We met up with a friend of Manuel's and started in a quiet shop/bar. Then a few places of different styles and clientele. I loved it! Being the foreigner I was made welcome everywhere and often asked for music to play (normally YouTube on big screens). On a Saturday night in a town of 200,000 souls there was plenty of young fellas pulling wheelies on motorbikes but no anti-social behaviour or aggression. A very interesting and pleasant night.

The basic kitchen with artwork donated or created by bike tourists. Some have stayed a day or two, others for months. There's a calmness to the place, easy access to a big city and a genuine welcome that is easy to succumb to.

​

With a new rear wheel I sanded down the bike to remove a build up of rust, sprayed on some primer, made a dog's dinner of trying to paint over that, so sanded again and put another layer of primer on. Roccado's got a whole new colour scheme and looks worse than ever.

Roccado getting some TLC

Wifi was pretty poor and I made a few attempts to update this but gave up in frustration. It was kind of pleasant to be unplugged for a few days.

At other times I was trying to figure out how to round off my time in Colombia. Only one Workaway response (not this month, maybe next month) so it looks like I'll be staying on the road. Looking at my big map it's very interesting just how much I have covered! Oh, there's big parts of Colombia that I haven't been near but there are good reasons for that, but I've really packed a lot into my Colombian adventure.
My eyes kept falling on the Pacific. One last trip to the Pacific! Head north and do a circular route to bring me back to north of Manizales. Then maybe the Alto de Letras in reverse? Then the big climb to Bogotá and an aeroplane to Europe.

Loaded up at the road and ready to leave this oasis of calm

Manuel and Marta are the hosts at the Casa. I barely met Marta as she went off with Cat for a few days. Manuel, the host was most definitely an interesting character and an impressive human. I could have stayed longer, regularly told to stay as long as I wanted. I'm a bit in awe of people like this. There's generosity and there's this. I hosted Warmshowers guests back in NL but I didn't take everyone who wanted to stay - some were just taking the p***. Like I say, I'm in awe.

A mountainside settlement. San Antonio de Prado is ranked as the largest suburb if Medellín but is very agricultural outside of the town limits.

I'll be leaving a week to the day after I arrived, a new rear wheel, new colours on Roccado. The last leg is about to start!

Chat? Yes Please!
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[HobbesOnTour]

Day 870 Monday, January 31, 2022, San Antonio de Prado to Amagá 34km Total KM 16130
Min meters 1438, Max Meters 1926,
Total Climb 651 Total Descent 1089
Min Temp 20 Max Temp 39 Ave Temp 31

Heading North! To the Pacific! Again!

It gets cold at night at these heights (+/-1800 meters) and stays cold at first light. An icy cold mountain water shower is a great way to shock an old body into life.

I made coffee, got my bags outside and cleaned the place up. I said my goodbyes and hit the road.

On the road away from the oasis that is La Casa de Ciclistas

The road into and out of the town is pretty spectacular and it didn't take long for the sun-drenched country to overpower my dread of some of the horrible, steep climbs.
Stopped to take a photo I ended up having a long and detailed conversation with a motorcyclist. Hitting the town I headed on out and down the crazy steep streets.

Being about 10km from the centre of Medellín traffic was pretty heavy but the worst was the incredibly steep sections - in both directions. Really tough going up and pretty hairy going down. Worse, these were all short sections to be repeated again and again.

Not bliss, but not too bad. On the highway after all the urban climbing and dropping. With a new rim the plan is to stay on bigger roads for a few days

​

Needing cash I headed for the Plaza in Estrella and wasted an hour queueing up at two different ATMs that didn't work when I got to them. Frustrating.

Finally, I made it onto a highway where I had a shoulder. Traffic was heavy, climbing was common, the temperature was rising quickly but I had my shoulder. Not bliss, but not bad.

There's always some great trees and the shade is very welcome these days

Stopped in the shade Les pulled up on his way to Ecuador. A puncture had left him trailing his buddy but we passed a pleasant hour chatting - mostly him doing the talking. Cycling is new to him but travelling doesn't faze him. He works his way to and around various countries. While chatting away he borrowed my knife and made a flagpole from a young bamboo tree!
For all the talk on fora like this one about bikes and gear the local touring cyclists that I meet display only a cursory interest in such things. Les had a bike barely "suitable" for a tour. His helmet was a construction hard hat with an elastic strap. He had two "proper" panniers that would make the Aldi/Lidl offerings seem like world beaters. These were tied on with string (to a possibly homemade rack) the cheap, ropey kind that frays easily. The same string was holding a couple of bags over the front wheel. Yet he was one of the most enthusiastic, spirited travellers I have met. Bike touring - it's not about the gear.

Resistencia. Artwork on the highway

I set off again and wasn't enjoying the climbing. A kind of rolling road it made for slow, hot going. To add to the atmosphere my old friend "subsidence" made a return and was a reason to stay on alert for most of the day. Thankfully, I passed a filling station with two ATMs! (The advantage of big roads!). Of course, one wasn't working but the other gave me some cash. Saved!

A (very short) tunnel with a road especially for me! And a very powerful sun!

I continued on and after passing Caldas came to my turn off to the town of Amagá. A big climb in front of me I stopped for a cold drink and a bite to eat then set off on the last biggish climb of the day.
A two laner became a beautiful split 4 laner at the top with a beautiful, wide shoulder all for me! I was whizzing down until I came to an unexpected tunnel but there's a road around it that bikes have to take. Then the 4 lanes were reduced to roadworks and I was bouncing through and choking on lots of dust.
That was my story the rest of the way to Amagá - some beautiful four lanes, a few two lanes and some singletrack chaos.

Climbing in very pleasant countryside. I was finding it tough

The town is incredibly steep and rather than roll all the way to the Plaza (and push back up later or tomorrow) I stopped at an iOverlander hotel. A very pleasant rate from a very pleasant man, an incredibly cold shower and I was ready to go explore.

But the views are good!

When the road was good it was pretty spectacular

And when it was bad......

For anyone paying attention, the fact that I passed Caldas probably reinforces my apalling sense of direction, but this time, it's actually correct.
This morning, while having coffee I couldn't drum up enthusiasm for the Pacific coast. It looked big, busy, stressful and will be very, very hot. So, I'm taking a figary. 28 months on the road and I haven't crossed the equator....... Yet.
I'm going to Ecuador!
Sometimes being on my own has its advantages

The ridicilously steep town! No way was I going down there on a loaded bike "on spec". Take the hotel at the top!

​

Chat? Yes Please!
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[HobbesOnTour]

Day 870 Monday, January 31, 2022, San Antonio de Prado to Amagá 34km Total KM 16130
Min meters 1438, Max Meters 1926,
Total Climb 651 Total Descent 1089
Min Temp 20 Max Temp 39 Ave Temp 31

Heading North! To the Pacific! Again! The Towns along the way.......

The pretty church and small Plaza in La Estrella. For a town not far from Medellín it was pleasant and friendly, even if the ATMs didn't work

A mountain village. These are scattered all around Medellín with lots of those high rise towers. To my eyes, these explosions of life amidst the green mountains are interesting and attractive in their own way

The sprawling suburbs of Caldas. In the centre it's very steep but that's hard to see from this angle. Les also told me that it's a town where it always rains. Locals have a derogatory name for the place.

Roccado, defying gravity in Amagá

A bit of the Plaza, the jeeps synonymous with Coffee country and the colourful town hall in the background

It still amazes me just how close to "nature" these town are

​

The Plaza and the church. The Plaza is split on two different levels. These towns are steeeeeeeeeep!

Football artwork

Streets are narrow, chaotic with a hodgepodge of building styles

Still lots of bright colours. The top one may look odd because of the steepness of the street.

​

Chat? Yes Please!
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[HobbesOnTour]

Day 871 Tuesday, February 01, 2022, Amagá to Fredonia 19km Total KM 16149
Min meters 1147, Max Meters 1831,
Total Climb 801 Total Descent 426
Min Temp 19 Max Temp 39 Ave Temp 30

Meeting some old friends again!

It was way too late going to sleep last night. Slow WiFi took ages to upload photos and the room (with no windows) unsurprisingly smelt of damp from the bathroom so my big plans for a dawn departure took a battering. I was exhausted.

Up at about 8:30 I headed off sans coffee or breakfast - there was no way I was wandering back down town. Even walking back up to the hotel last night was hard work.

Old friends!! Not a great photo but my first chance to photograph the random yellow trees scattered through the landscape. Maybe I've been on the road too long but the sight of these old friends really lifts the spirits!

I had to double back aways to take a different road and thankfully found a bakery for coffee and food. Fuelled up I was ready to head off but with no actual destination. I could go to Venecia (a place I thought of visiting from Bolomboló but rejected because I couldn't face the climbing), a bit off my route to the south or I could go to Fredonia. If I was feeling really sprightly I could do both - not a massive increase in kms but a doubling of meters to climb. I'd come to a junction and could make my mind up then.

Ten minutes later.......
What a road! Magic! Mysterious!

​

Setting off was the perfect post breakfast situation - a long, sweeping descent in pretty country. The road was the real star though, twisting, turning and dropping and regularly reminding me that I'm in earthquake country with lots of steep subsidence and sometimes a lack of surface. Nothing like a bit of adventure in the morning! Except it wasn't quite morning. It was late morning and the sun was blasting. Hot! Hot! Hot! But the road looked after that too giving me lots of shade on a regular basis. 400 meters of downhill bliss, beauty and adventure.

Geologically unstable! If you ever see one of those signs in these parts - believe it!

​

Flying down exciting roads with loads to admire is one of the really great things about bike touring. Unfortunately, what went down needed to go back up and that was tough. Very tough. Gradients were steep and shade disappeared as the sun hit the zenith. And I was tired. On these roads there are few places to stop and get off the bike so any opportunity was grabbed greedily. The sweeping fast bends on the way down were horrendously steep on the way up. The bumps and subsidence that were fun and exciting coming down are trickier going up. Then the road liked to throw hills on top of hills at me - a short section, maybe 50 meters of extra steep road on a road already steep. Killers.

Great views when they weren't hidden by trees along the roadside

​

I had at least 600 meters of climbing before I decided which way to go and I'm pretty sure I felt every single meter. There were no flat sections, no descents just a constant climb. I was really struggling.

Resting. On the descent!

My mood wasn't helped when thinking I could get into my granny gear the chain skipped off and landed between cassette and wheel. Since Cartagena the gear indicator is broken so I can't tell what gear I'm in. I've been extra careful with the indexing to make sure the chain can't reach that far and had the perfect setup at the Casa to index the gears by hanging Roccado from the ceiling. Annoying.

These roads can be great for getting close to Nature.

Arriving at the junction that was decision time I opted for Fredonia. It meant more climbing but going to Venecia meant a long drop - meters I'd have to regain tomorrow and tomorrow looks like it'll be a long one.

A bloody tough climb with a steep drop to the left - but great views!

Those last couple of hundred meters nearly killed me!

Ghost trees I call them

At the top I pulled in for a coffee to be disappointed when no coffee was to be had. A cold coke relieved some of my disappointment. Then a flattish run in to Fredonia to be hit with another get-off-and-push stretch up to the Plaza.

Incredibly tall trees that made me feel like a king (a sweaty, unfit, slightly foul mouthed monarch to be honest)

I spied a hotel with steps that weren't too bad and enquired. A bit pricey but iOverlander had another even pricier. I checked in and another mountain cold water shower revived me.

Such views. I'm not going fast but then again, I don't want to!

​

Off to explore!

Chat? Yes Please!
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[HobbesOnTour]

Day 871 Tuesday, February 01, 2022, Amagá to Fredonia 19km Total KM 16149
Min meters 1147, Max Meters 1831,
Total Climb 801 Total Descent 426
Min Temp 19 Max Temp 39 Ave Temp 30

Meeting some old friends again!

Fredonia

An interesting name the origins of which are unknown to me and an interesting little town, but not at first glance.

The Plaza and the Church in Fredonia. I took a couple of coffees from pmeasant ladies beside the church and basked in the early evening vibes and sights

I headed for the Plaza and was charmed by the church, vivid and proud towering over the split level Plaza. A big cup of coffee - actually big and served in an actual cup - from a friendly waitress and I sat down to watch.

Steep and chaotic streets with fantastic mountains at the end. Coming from the order and neatness of NL these streets still retain shock value for me but there's a life and vibrancy to them I find refreshing.

​

Fredonia is in the coffee growing area, evidenced by a few coffee buyers in town even though I saw little on my way up and what I did see looked untended. For that reason it was strange that the only vendors in the Plaza were for fruit juices.
Speaking of coffee, on my way south (on the other side of the mountains) the coffee was usually served already sweetened whereas on this side sugar is served separately.

The sun playing on the mountains behind the town. Sitting, savouring a good coffee I was in my element.​

Sitting down, especially on up high where I was gives a great opportunity to pick up on the details that I'd missed on my first pass. The brightly coloured buildings are surprisingly easy to miss because of the distracting (and often frantic) commercial activities on the ground floor and signage above. Sitting down, relaxing, a good coffee in hand is a great way to savour the mountains looming over the town everywhere I look. A second cup of coffee means that the sun changes what it favours with its warmth and enhancement. Hmmmmm...... Observant traveller or lazy bike tourist?

The thing with these mountainy towns that still gets me are the narrow, higgildy piggidly streets stretching up or down with epic mountains framed at the end.
I can't for the life of me capture the impression on a camera but the effect on this bike tourist is as fresh and powerful as when he first saw it back in Guatemala.

Behind the church a scene typical of these mountain towns - stairs and art.

There's really not much to the town other than the Plaza. The streets running away from it become more dilapidated with distance and their side streets smaller and even more dilapidated. Houses that look "normal" from the front are really just a facade with a steep stairs inside running up or down to the living areas. I wander around comfortably here, sometimes getting the odd stare. Off the bike I appear more strange than on.

Street art. Not particularly high-quality (but better than I could ever do), but bright, cheerful, local and a little proud.

A lot of these towns will have some kind of statue, or possibly a cross (and sometimes both) high on a mountain looking over the town. Practically invisible in daylight they come into their own at night - an illuminated white presence floating over the town in the darkness. In Fredonia, with looming hills so close to the town and houses on those looming hills there was the added "star effect" of apparently large, strangely shaped "stars" hanging in the sky over the town. A little other worldly but a pleasant little place.

This was a shop. Where I lived in NL such a colourful front would be fined!

I can't describe the feeling (nor accurately capture the scene) of the chaos of the man made street and the regal beauty of Nature. These are magical scenes to me.

Narrow, steep, chaotic but full of life

Street Art

More street art - the bottom one is for a punture service - every town and little settlement has one - these guys are thinking big!

​

Chat? Yes Please!
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[HobbesOnTour]

Day 872 Wednesday, February 02, 2022, Fredonia to La Felisa* 87km Total KM 16236
Min meters 582, Max Meters 1807,
Total Climb 760 Total Descent 1821
Min Temp 20 Max Temp 44 Ave Temp 32

*Google: 5.3788713, -75.6084265

You ain't a beauty but hey you're alright.... (B. Springsteen)

It was a very deceptive morning. A room facing west onto a narrow street meant that it was fresh and dark when I woke up ie cold! A breakfast across the road in a bakery and I was ready to get everything down the stairs and out. Hitting the Plaza was the proof of the deception - a blasting sun when there was nothing to block it.
My road out of town was steep and ended up being closed off. Not a problem - four different people took it upon themselves to explain how I could get back on route - pretty much one on every corner. A real community effort! There was no discussion on where I wanted to go - there's only the one road!

9am out of the town and the view is filtered through a haze of heat

Back on the little road I had the perfect start to the day - a long, sweeping descent on narrow, interesting and exciting roads. It was hot but the wind of a swift descent kept me cool. A short 150 meter climb made me all the more grateful for the descent when it resumed again. It was surprisingly tough.

Rural Colombia can be a very vivid place

​

What didn't help was a strange sound coming out of my rear hub. Oh dear. At the top I unloaded the bike and investigated. There's definitely something not right. There's nothing I can do about it at the moment and I'm heading for La Pintada one of the very few places I've been without a bike shop (I looked when I saw the state of my rim).

Yellow trees and an interesting road

​

Back on the descent I tried to keep pedalling since that seemed to help minimise the odd noise but that was surprisingly difficult to do. Despite the noise it was a wonderful descent through beautiful country. I had the road practically to myself most of the time and while there weren't many places to stop and park the bike there was no problem stopping on the road.

There was something magical in the colours and variety in this little corner

At one stage I had to stop to let the rims cool down - it was heavy on the brakes with regular subsidence and potholes. The sun dappled shade was both very pleasant and very dangerous hiding the bike traps.
A mighty iguana caught my eye along the roadside then crossed over in front of me causing me to slow right down. I watched him sway into the long grass and disappear then noticed the scattering of rocks ahead of me. I think my lizard friend saved me from a fall!

Sometimes there is just so much life.......

​

My target was the Río Cauca (again!) and I crossed it at Puente Iglesias then rejoined the big, empty highway to take me to La Pintada (again!).

Way down there..... The Río Cauca..... Again! At least this time I have a road to get me down there!

Hazy heat

There's always a fabulous tree!

Getting lower ........ And getting hotter!

The Río Cauca. If I wanted, I could hop in here, join the Magdalena later and end up back at Barranquilla! (Barranquilla is the hometown of Shakira - had I known that I wouldn't have bypassed it

​

Chat? Yes Please!
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[HobbesOnTour]

Day 872 Wednesday, February 02, 2022, Fredonia to La Felisa* 87km Total KM 16236
Min meters 582, Max Meters 1807,
Total Climb 760 Total Descent 1821
Min Temp 20 Max Temp 44 Ave Temp 32

*Google: 5.3788713, -75.6084265

You ain't a beauty but hey you're alright.... (B. Springsteen) Part Two


I don't normally do this but the road was exceptional today (until it wasn't). Here are some "roadshots" ......

Chat? Yes Please!
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[HobbesOnTour]

Day 872 Wednesday, February 02, 2022, Fredonia to La Felisa* 87km Total KM 16236
Min meters 582, Max Meters 1807,
Total Climb 760 Total Descent 1821
Min Temp 20 Max Temp 44 Ave Temp 32

*Google: 5.3788713, -75.6084265

You ain't a beauty but hey you're alright.... (B. Springsteen) Part Three

​

At an elevation of between 500 and 600 meters now it was hot! A steady pace kept a cool wind and I was making decent progress. My route diverted me around La Pintada but I pulled off for coffee and a bite and to ask (again) for a bike mechanic. No joy. I set off again in the heat onto a rough two laner with a lot of traffic. Thankfully a small shoulder appeared after a little while and I could relax a bit.

Back on the familiar highway! Still unbelievably empty!

I was now following the Río Cauca through a river valley. I'd read Tim Tower's notes last night and I wasn't seeing the beauty that he did. The río was so far below me as to be invisible and the countryside was scraggly. As it was I was busy enough navigating the narrow shoulder with a lot of traffic.

After La Pintada everything became more interesting!

Then things changed. The road became a split 4 laner with a generous shoulder all for me. Bliss! Going against the río I was climbing slowly but making decent progress. Then the road went back to two lanes but kept the decent shoulder. I had a "bump" in the road that looked like another 150 meter climb and they even laid on a climbing lane! More bliss.

A rare view of the river as I travelled alongside

Then it all changed. Long before the top the road became road works and the three lanes became one. That one lane meant traffic travelling in one direction got to use the lane while the others formed a never ending line and waited their turn.
Not wanting to be swamped especially going uphill when my side all started travelling the narrow road I rejoined the Catholic church and weaved myself past the workers and continued along staying out of everyone's way. If caught or stopped I'd admit my sin and ask forgiveness - The Catholic way. As it was, no-one was bothered.

Getting caught out after sneaking ahead of the traffic on my side

Such was the rest of the journey. Sometimes a decent two lane road with broad shoulders and sometimes an unsurfaced lane. Regular tailbacks in both directions and sometimes I had the whole road to myself when the last car against me had passed and the first from my own direction was way back the road. A few motorbikers did as I did but most waited. A long line of motorbikes was the first sign of a line of traffic coming up behind me, followed by the queue jumpers - invariably fast and impatient blasting the horn to get me out of their way - then the normal traffic of trucks and cars.

Crappy surface, lots of dust, a long, steady line of traffic against me ...... But look at that light falling on the mountain

All this coincided with better views of the river and landscape - in theory. The reality was loads of dust and all the crap associated with roadworks from mounds of gravel to lots of traffic cones and all kinds of temporary buildings along the roadside.
Such was the rest of my day. Dealing with roadworks, dust, lines of traffic and surfaces that contained just about everything. There's never a dull moment in Colombia!

Crappy surface, lots of dust, a long, steady line of traffic against me ...... But look at that light falling on the mountain

Tim had especially mentioned a hotel along the way that he found. He didn't stay but had a coffee and gave a very detailed write up. In the dust and the chaos it was starting to sound good. When I did come across it it was closed and covered in dust!

And more light effects in the lull between traffic

Because of the delays along the way I was running out of light but pulled in for a cold drink about 10km from La Felisa where I hoped to stop.

Chaos at a little settlement along the river

​

Suitably refreshed I set off weaving in and out of a long line of traffic.
The stop start nature of the roadworks continued and I passed the toll booth in the dark although the sky above me was still bright - river valleys in the evening light with a descending sun can be heaven on a bike. One hospedaje was closed and I was getting worried - all the workers on the road would need accommodation and I'm sure lots of drivers delayed by the work would want a bed too. Tim had mentioned a new hotel out the road and I headed out. Without knowing it was there I'd have passed it - not a sign to be seen. Reception was hidden in an outbuilding but I got a cheap room and a cold shower. Dinner was delicious from a restaurant beside a filling station.
As I was walking over to eat the last of the sunlight was reflected onto the clouds above the valley. A delicate pinky, orange colour which was dominated by cables and pylons and water tanks and satellite dishes from my vantage point. It wasn't picturesque but it was pretty damn beautiful.

Down close to the río, surprisingly fast and rough

​

Chat? Yes Please!
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[HobbesOnTour]

Day 873 Thursday, February 03, 2022, La Felisa to Truckstop near La Manuelita* 48km Total KM 16284
Min meters 742, Max Meters 1159,
Total Climb 815 Total Descent 442
Min Temp 27 Max Temp 43 Ave Temp 36

* Google: 5.0589146, -75.6082029

A truck stop education

I'm very tired in the mornings these days. I was late getting to sleep and my desire to be leaving at 6am turned out to be a folly. I did get to enjoy a decent breakfast at the restaurant though. Setting off the sun was already up and it was hot. I had about 1km of iffy road until it split and taking the main road to Manizales everything improved. The road was wider and I had a very decent shoulder. Best of all - no more roadworks!

I saw a sign for a tunnel and my heart sank imagining having to turn around but my disappointment was short lived. A decent shoulder was provided and while pedestrians were prohibited there was nothing to stop me!

Still beside the river the valley was pretty without a coating of dust. I was really able to enjoy it as I felt like the only traveller on (my side of) the road. Back aways the traffic was all backed up at the roadworks! I'd have peace and quiet then a long, steady line of traffic then relative peace again.

This house on the bank of the surging río had its own cablecar to cross the river

​

The road was rolling and in the heat quite tough. I'm lacking energy. My diet isn't great so I picked up some Vitamin supplements in Fredonia - all I need to do now is remember to take the damn things.

Had I not had my problems with the hub there would be a number of options open to me. I could, for example, turn off to Ríosucio and do that fabulous ridge in reverse having another night on the mirador. Or, as was my plan, turn off the main road here and take backroads that would take me north of Manizales - a route I wanted to do on my way down but was advised against because of landslides. That option would leave me with making a decision to head south past Calí or doing the Trampolín again!

Roadsigns. I believe the bottom one refers to mountain climbing

​

Unfortunately, those roads are rough and I'm not taking a noisy hub on a trek of a few hundred kms on Colombian backroads.
My target, therefore is Santa Rosa de Cabal - again! I know there are bike shops there although I'm not expecting to make it today. Too many meters.
Having not planned this in any way at all my goal is to either repeat the parts I really liked or (usually) take the road not travelled with an emphasis on the small ones. I need my hub to be sounding better than it is for that!

A very pleasant road nearly all day with lots of road with minimal traffic (because it was all held up behind)

I stopped at a roadside restaurant for a coffee and cold drink. In this heat I'm sweating a lot and warm water is unpleasant to drink. I took a turn off to pass through the village of Irra (no bike mechanics - lots of motorbike ones) but didn't hang around. A little later I pulled in again for more coffee/cold water and rested up. With a few exceptions the climbing is gentle but the steeper stuff starts soon. I'll be rejoining the road I took out of Manizales - the coffee highway!

The riverside town of Irra

All in all it was a pleasant day's cycling but hot and tough at times. The temperature is a funny thing fluctuating betwen 35 and 38C but only becoming really hot when the sun is blasting me. At times I can feel like a rasher on a grill.
No roadworks was definitely an improvement!

A tributary to the Río Cauca. With highlanfs to my right abd the río to my left there were a lot of tributaries.

I knew of one basic roadside hotel and pulled up there not willing to face into another 10km of climbing to Chinchina. I could avoid Chinchina altogether in the morning to hit Santa Rosa de Cabal. Another truck stop will only make me appreciate the delights of coffee country towns!

Colombia is great for throwing in a splash of colour!

What I thought would be a dull night with nothing of interest to see turned out to be anything but.
There's a new thing since January that immigration papers have to be shown to check in to hotels - this was the first place I came across it. I had to await "clearance" from the computer. A small irritation but given the cold shower to follow getting in to my room I like to hit the icy water before I cool down too much.
I had a siesta for an hour then wandered to the restaurant to eat. Delicious frijoles (beans) in rice with a fatty leg of chicken in a bizarre sweet and sour sauce. The place is also a transport hub so there was lots of activity (and dust) to keep me amused.
A few young Venezuelans were hanging around and two were quick to approach the "Gringo" looking for money. I'm usually happy enough to pass over a small amount in exchange for a bit of a chat and some understanding but I became nervous when the two guys hovered around the table and wouldn't leave. The reason became apparent though. One of them wanted the remains of my chicken leg - everything else I had eaten.
At first I was disgusted at the thought but that changed to guilt pretty quickly. He scrounged a side plate and removed the bones and fatty skin to eat elsewhere. It was his delight and gratitude that unsettled me deeply.
I had planned to buy myself a few treats to take back to my room but couldn't and returned in a sombre mood.

A fabulous tree

Recent elections in Chile had Venezuelan immigration as a main plank for both candidates. A protest last week attacked a makeshift settlement where Venezuelans were living. According to Chilean government statistics all crime rates have risen significantly since Venezuelans started fleeing. The problem with stats is that they can be easily "adjusted". Does anyone really trust their Government these days?
At this stage I've met Venezuelans all the way back to México. They have been waiters and juice sellers in lots of towns in Colombia. (They tend to pass through the poorer countries in Central America). I've encountered many on the roads. Sullen some might be (and I can't blame them) but many are friendly and supportive - a natural response to a fellow traveller and the most recent were the two in the Casa de Ciclistas just passing through.
It's disturbing to me to witness the poverty amongst them and I wasn't finished witnessing it. Stepping out of my room the next morning behind a fence where the trucks parked, there were the young lads lying in front of the trucks where they had slept.

As the evening draws in the heat drops and the less intense light starts to weave its magic

The other thing of interest that I saw were two hookers plying their trade in the truck carpark. Illuminated under the security lights when I was going back to my room about 8pm they were still around the next morning at 7am. A truck stop / carpark on the side of the road. What a place to make a living. What I thought would be a dull, unremarkable night ended up leaving a deep impression.

What a fabulous, rich and varied landscape

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[HobbesOnTour]

Day 874 Friday, February 04, 2022, Truckstop near La Manuelita to Santa Rosa de Cabal 28km Total KM 16312
Min meters 1108, Max Meters 1723,
Total Climb 814 Total Descent 195
Min Temp 24 Max Temp 41 Ave Temp 32

On familiar roads on the other side of the globe!

For a room that was like a coffin heated by the fiery flames of Hell I slept reasonably well. A quick coffee at the store and I got packed up. As I lugged the loaded bike past the restaurant I saw a group of cyclists having coffee - who better to ask about a bike mechanic?
Chinchina they told me - about 10km up the road and home to the world's largest coffee cup. I relaxed a bit and since the restaurant was now open decided to have some breakfast.
Then I hit the road.

8:30 and already getting warm

Immediately there was a roundabout with the option of a stiff climb to Manizales. I thought about it - there would be no shortage of bike shops - but decided against. Manizales doesn't draw me back. Chinchina doesn't either but Santa Rosa de Cabal, a little further along? That does.

I'd like to say I flew through the 10km but I can't. I found it very hard going. Rolling, but always climbing more than I descended in growing heat was taking it out of me. I was feeling a little pressure too. Today being Friday I'd imagine bike shops are busier than earlier in the week. And with a Sunday off I could be looking at a few days off the road.
Also the gears started slipping, normally when under stress. It looked like the hub problem was more serious than just a regreasing.

I kept a keen eye out but Zorro didn't appear

At least I was on a new road to me - until I wasn't. I rejoined the road I'd taken from Manizales all those weeks ago and soon started to recognise the views. In fairness, they are pretty spectacular. Having seen them all before was a great excuse to keep the head down and the pedals going. Looking now I took less than 30 photos for the day. A "normal" day is usually well in excess of 100 and a really good day can exceed 300! (I think my record is about 600!)

Getting close to Chinchina and the steep approach I swear my legs did a little spasm in protest. "Why in hell are you making us climb this bloody road ....... again? You didn't like the place the last time!"

Shade was a boon today! A lot of climbing and a lot of heat

I headed for the Plaza, got a coffee from a girl who was too busy to be smiley and pleasant this time then asked some Police for a bike shop. Just around the corner!
Before that, though, I needed a bank. The first machine rejected me, the second too. Now I was getting worried. In any case I went to the shop, a place with no doorway. It had a counter across the front and presumably some kind of workshop to the rear. That's where the mechanic came from in response to my request. Surly, sullen and willing to make no concessions to a foreign cyclist he told me he couldn't look at it until later, maybe tomorrow. I asked him if tomorrow and I needed a new hub could it all be done in a day. He shrugged in a manner to suggest that he didn't much care. I asked if there were any other stores or mechanics given that I was travelling and he gave me directions to another around the corner and stalked off before I could thank him.

With difficulty I found the other store but the mechanic wasn't in and it wasn't clear when he might return. Given Latin American attitudes to time (not a criticism - I like a more relaxed attitude) I declined the offer to leave everything. The man kindly directed me back to the first place. Now I had a decision. Head on to Santa Rosa where I remembered at least one bike store or go back to Mr. Surly. Something didn't sit right with me so I set off again, stopping to queue for another ATM. This one worked.

Pleasant. Very pleasant

On the way out of town I passed another little bike store and pulled up. The guy dropped what he was doing immediately, had a listen to the hub and said "Grave". Serious.
With the sound and the slipping gears he diagnosed a problem within the hub and most likely a replacement hub would be needed. Not something he had in stock. He agreed with me that heading in to Santa Rosa should be doable and wished me a good journey.

Today's río has hardly any water

More rolling, but ever upwards on a familiar road was draining. Ha! Dumbass! Here I am in COLOMBIA and *complaining* that the road is familiar!
In fairness, it's a great road with great views (not spectacular but consistently good), a decent shoulder and not too much traffic. But it was hot!! I sometimes have a slight irritation in my eyes from a combination of sweat and sunblock but today it was off the scale. My cheeks were soaking and my eyes stinging constantly. I had to regularly stop and wipe myself down with my buff.

Ascending to Chinchina. I actually caught up with that cyclist in front!!

Eventually I came to the turn off to Santa Rosa and began the long approach to the Plaza. Spying a bike shop I pulled in waiting ages to cross the road. The man ignored my comments, put some oil on the chain and said everything was fine! I thought not.

What was denied me in Chinchina on my first visit - the world's largest coffee cup! Sometimes it's better not to achieve our dreams!

I continued on, past the familiar and lovely Plaza and spied the shop. With a workshop at the back, downstairs, a guy came out to inspect. Of course, now the hub was quieter (the noise came and went). Then the actual mechanic came out for a look. He was busy getting bikes ready for a race but said he'd have a look in a while. Good enough for me. I set off to find some accommodation close by, showered and returned with a lighter Roccado.

The pretty and pleasant Plaza in Chinchina

​

Later, when I returned to the shop I had good news and not so good news. The good news was that the hub was structurally sound. It was being serviced by an apprentice as we spoke. The not so good news was that the spokes used on the wheel were too long and these were bending around the hub, applying forces where they shouldn't. Now, I'm not a wheel expert (it was progress for me to realise that a "wheel" isn't actually one component but a combination of hub, rim and spokes) but I had seen this when I got the wheel built but was assured that all was fine.
He said that I could travel on but that I should keep a close eye. I asked if he had spokes of the correct length to be told that no, he didn't but he could look in the morning. If he could get them he could get the wheel rebuilt.

We bumped fists and agreed to chat again in the morning.

More animals to contend with

​

At the hotel I met another traveller (strangely unwilling to give his name). An English chap but lived in the US for years, apparently wealthy and travelling by motorbike. We had a coffee together and I listened to his story.
Now, I do love a good travelling story but this chap managed to take the "mono" from monotonous and the "logue" from travelogue and combine them in a way that would have most people asking "why bother?"
Extremely privileged to have the two biggest deficiencies of the long distance traveller covered - money and time - he exhibited not a bit of joy or satisfaction. It was a list of places visited delivered in a monotone. He kept saying that he could never travel on a bike despite meeting many cyclists in strange places. If I thought about travelling as he apparently did I wouldn't have the motivation to turn a pedal either.

Rolling..... But ever upwards

​

My coffee man was still in his corner in the Plaza, still with a sociable crowd hanging around. It's amazing how the memories come flooding back on seeing the familiar and pretty Plaza. I think it was November when I was here last - not that long ago really - but there's been a hell of a lot of coffee in Plazas since!

My relaxation in the Plaza was cut short by a humungous rainstorm that had me running for the hotel. I'm back in the mountains!



Chat? Yes Please!
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[HobbesOnTour]

Days 875-77 Saturday - Monday, February 05-7, 2022, Santa Rosa de Cabal

A new rim. Again.

The next morning Miguel was already busy with new spokes. Everything should be ready in the afternoon.

But they weren't.

The rim is really not great and the spokes weren't working well. The problem was that on *some* of the spokes the length was off meaning that the spoke nipple couldn't get a good grip. It was only some of the nipples suggesting that the rim was uneven. More time would be needed to do it properly and probably different spokes. The problem that I would have would be a lack of horizontal strength in the wheel - a problem with my load.
Miguel offered to work on Sunday - he had stock to sort out anyway - something I was reluctant to agree to. Sunday is his day off. He insisted.

I just love these artistic tributes to local people. Not a speck of graffiti or any other sign of disrespect.

Monday morning was more bad news. With clear frustration he showed me three spokes that just wouldn't sit right, that couldn't be tightened correctly and that compromised the strength of the whole wheel. The problem was very clearly the rim and the solution involved getting spokes cut and rethreaded to the exact length.
At this stage I re-examined the whole picture. If the rim was the problem did he have another rim?
He did! For a downhill MTB it would be strong. But it was for disc brakes.
He made a few calls and a local shop had a second hand wheelset. We went to look. Axiom rims, used on a disc brake bike so the braking surface was untouched. They looked good. Hell, they felt good! There was a heft to them lacking in my own and a solidity I hadn't felt in a while.
Miguel told me that he had a rim on a bike at home that I could use too. I asked him which was the better rim - his or the man's and he confirmed that the Axiom were much better.
The man wanted to sell them as a set - fair enough - but also with hubs, tyres, tubes and discs not so fair enough.
Miguel negotiated to just the wheelset, including hubs and I paid.
My newly serviced XT hub was superior to the hub on the wheelset so Miguel advised swapping them out.

I'm not sure what's going on here but the colours are enough to charm me

This is the thing about a long trip like this - components wear out. While I'd happily throw on a Chinese cassette or tyre until I could get a better version a rim is a different kettle of fish. Indeed, it was one reason for my trailer - I'd always have an extra rim.
With each day and a patient demonstration and explanation (en Español!) my faith in the rim was falling quickly. I know me and I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself if I was constantly thinking of my rear wheel. I'd also have to forego a lot of the smaller roads that I've come to love so much in favour of bigger, smoother ones. In fact, I already have.

These mountain towns are steep!

A long weekend was not what I had in mind when I arrived but I'll be leaving with a serviced hub*, a rim as strong as the one I left NL on and a wheel built by a guy who has been nothing but generous and understanding.

This is a normal house. Not a museum or a shop or a tourist information office. A home.

​

* As an example of my inexperience I had rejected the notion of getting the hub serviced when I got the wheel built initially. I figured I only needed it for a few more weeks in Colombia and that I'd get a whole new wheel when back in Europe. I did ask about a new hub now too but the Covid supply problems exist here too - Miguel has nothing as good as my own.

And beside it ..... This! Look at the bottom for an idea of the angle of the street

The rest of my time in Santa Rosa was a bit of a washout. It can be dangerous coming back to favourite places.
A lot of rain didn't help but my time in the plaza was blighted by people, sometimes aggressively, looking for money.

I did find the town sign, something I hadn't noticed was missing the last time!​

---

I found another Mexican restaurant, smaller and busier than my last visit but equally as disappointing. I really should stop disappointing myself!

The seats in the Park/Plaza are all sponsored.

I had another conversation with the English chap before he left. I am sometimes amused, sometimes a little shocked at how little our nearest neighbour knows about us.

I asked the old guy in the window if I could take a picture. Again, a home.

With semi decent internet I could listen to the Ireland Wales rugby match, then later watch the whole game on YouTube. I used to be critical when I read of bike tourists doing the same but I've found that, especially solo, a totally immersive experience in foreign parts can be tough. A little taste of the familiar can be very pleasant. When that taste is also a pretty comprehensive victory it's even better!

One night I ate in a Disney themed place and I chose to eat off WonderWoman

Santa Rosa de Cabal. This time I couldn't sit in the park without being hassled for money. Definitely a lovely town but some of the shine was lost this time around

​

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[HobbesOnTour]

Day 878 Tuesday, February 08, 2022, Santa Rosa de Cabal to Quimbaya 54km Total KM 16366
Min meters 1185, Max Meters 1789,
Total Climb 939 Total Descent 1329
Min Temp 18 Max Temp 31 Ave Temp 24

The rain in Colombia falls mainly on my head!

It has been a while since I had to consider rain but consider it I did this morning! Thundering down it was at 6am! Hardly surprising, really, since there had been a lot of rain over the weekend and not too significant since I'd promised the guys in the bike shop to stop by at 9am for a photo.

Leaving Santa Rosa behind and heading into rain and trees hidden by mist and warnings of falling rocks!​

In the end it was nearly 10am when the rain had lightened off enough to leave. Obligations done, one last tinto and I descended out of Santa Rosa.
I had a few options open to me but the likeliest was Cartago. I'd really enjoyed the Plaza there but felt cheated by the church - although there was an old one I wouldn't mind seeing again.
Another option was Salento again. I'd really enjoyed my time there and the back road to Armenia had been magnificent. I wouldn't mind doing that one again. There's also a backroad to Ibagué that would be magnificent if a little crazy to try. That would give me the chance to do more of the Tatacoa desert and ultimately the Trampoline again!
Yep! That's the way my head is! I have no idea where I'm going other than south.

This is a quiet road around Pereria!

Anyways, first step was to bypass Pereria (again). Still drizzling I had my rainjacket on for a long descent with the ocasional steep climb to keep me honest. I'd travelled this road before and didn't want to try another. Tim Tower's warning about traffic in Pereria still ringing in my ears.

I was both enjoying it and not enjoying it. I was amused at myself for remembering so much but I wasn't enjoying the conditions or the traffic.

Off the beaten track and into rural Colombia. It really is special

​

There's a big roundabout where I'd turn off to Salento but I stayed heading for Cartago but pulled in to the first café to think.
Looking again at Osmand I noticed I had another option on a small road that would bring me (by a different road) to Alcalá and on to Quimbaya. There was something about Quimbaya that tickled my memories so I searched it on my notes to see that I'd visited it early in the day, had been charmed and nearly stayed. Sold!
A better option than Cartago and a good position to hit some new small places in the mountains.

This chap wanted some pineapple!

It took a while to cross the road with all the traffic but I managed, hit the roundabout had a few kms of heavy traffic then turned off into the countryside. My expected bliss didn't arrive since the road was full of heavy traffic and I started to wonder at the wisdom of this little figary but after a few minutes the traffic disappeared.

Now, this wasn't a spectacular road by any stretch and while I climbed a lot I also descended a lot so views weren't anything to write home about. But I was off the main road and everything was quiet. The rain had stopped too!

This is someone's home!

The climbing had me sweating, swearing and huffing but the crazy descents had me whooping like a kid on a rollercoaster. Crazy bends, crazy descents and crazy speeds balanced out by slow, ponderous climbs.

I am regularly amazed at just how much variety can fit onto the small screen of ny phone!

I stopped for a cup of fresh pineapple in the small roadside settlement of Morelia and had dogs barking at me from all corners. I stopped later to buy a couple of bananas and had the same - two dogs going nuts but no danger at all. I am really pleased with my interactions with dogs. They're not all friendly but I'm having fun converting the yappers and the barkers to amigos.

Rural Colombia. On a bike it's bloody hard work ............ But worth it all

I recognised Alcalá before I got to it and stopped for a quick snack. No coffee this time then mounted up again for the last few kms up and down to Quimbaya.

I used to think Ireland was the greenest!

Going up was slow and hard work. Going down veered between terrifying and fabulous fun! On one short, steep section I was shocked to see my speed roll past 50kmh!

Cycling *in* nature. It may not look particularly spectacular but it feels (and sounds) wonderful

​

Home!

Watching the news on tv later I was shocked to see a landslide in Dosquebradas, a suburb of Pereria. 15 people dead, at least two missing.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-60152012


Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 878 Tuesday, February 08, 2022, Santa Rosa de Cabal to Quimbaya 54km Total KM 16366
Min meters 1185, Max Meters 1789,
Total Climb 939 Total Descent 1329
Min Temp 18 Max Temp 31 Ave Temp 24

The towns along the way

Alcalá now has a town sign!

I do like the street art

Respect the cyclist they might be your child

Approaching Quimbaya

Quimbaya

Guess! Again I was hassled for money as soon as I sat down with my coffee. I had loved the posters of locals and did again but ....... There was something lacking in revisiting the place.

A pleasant tree.

​

Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/